Headbands are well known in the art as lengths of fabric worn about the head to absorb perspiration or to hold back hair. They are typically made of terry cloth or other absorbent fabric, such as cotton, silk, rayon, polyester, fabric blends or other material. Frequently, the terry cloth is knitted with an elastic material.
Many types of headphones and earphones have been developed recently with the explosion of the health and fitness industries to accommodate the active user who demand light weight and comfortable speakers that do not impede movement while remaining in place. One common type is a small, approximately one-half inch diameter earphone that sits outside the ear canal in the folds of the earlobe. The earphone is attached to a length of thin wire. A pair of earphones are used, one for each ear. The wires from each earphone are connected to a male (typically) connector that in turn can be removably connected to a device, such as, but not limited to a cassette or compact disc player, AM/FM radio, dictation machine, musical instrument, or the like. Frequently, these devices are attached to a belt or arm strap or carried by hand.
The earphones are normally placed in the ear with the wire dangling downward. However, earphones can fall out during strenuous activity because the wire does have some weight which pulls downward and also because vigorous movement causes the wires to flop around. Headphones suffer from a similar problem because of their mass and because of the attached antenna that can move.
It would be desirable to have a headband that can accommodate a set of earphones so that the user would be afforded comfort with almost no movement restrictions or concern that the earphones would fall out.
Accordingly, it is a principal object of the present invention to provide a means for maintaining a set of earphones in a relatively fixed position with respect to a user's ear so that the earphones are more comfortably worn.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a headband that can securely hold a pair of earphones and associated wires yet be washable.
It is still another object of the present invention to provide a combination headband and stereo earphone whereby one can imprint names, logos or colors on the headband for use in promotional advertising.